Phantom (Dark Musicals #1)
by Laura
DeLuca
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Categories: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Pagan Writers Press
Release Date: April
11, 2012
Heat Level: Sweet
Word Count: 85,560
Available at:
Blurb:
The
“Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting.
She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her
obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual
production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle
and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their
calling card.
Rebecca
lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she
is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays
the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than
realistic in the role of the tortured artist.
Almost
immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the
stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom
style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone
calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the
twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and
the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s
running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when
the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be
revealed.
The orchestra tuned for its virtuoso,
and Justyn stood ready. But no one else was ready for the magical performance
he began. Beside her, Carmen was rambling on about something mundane. Rebecca
elbowed her to silence so she could listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As
she listened to the song unfold, the world around her started to slip away.
Gone was the high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic
stranger on the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched
him in all his dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the words of
his song. And she was as breathless with wonder as Christine herself must have
been when the masked stranger serenaded her in the candlelit labyrinth of the
opera house. In that moment, Justyn wasn’t just portraying the phantom. Justyn
was the phantom.
“Let the
music touch your soul.
Let the
darkness make you whole.
Do not
fear what is unknown.
Your
true path has now been shown.
Listen
to the words I sing.
Embrace
the peace that night will bring.”
As he continued to sing in his deep
but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t tear her eyes away
from him. With every line, her heart began to beat faster. She truly felt the arms of night wrapping her
in a warm embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom glide along
her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It possessed
her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing, yearning for more.
She was gawking so obviously, it was
hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and steadily met her gaze.
She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe, and she quickly snapped
it shut. His lips moved into just a small hint of a smile. He never took his
eyes off her while he sang the final verse, making her cheeks flush to the
point that she felt almost feverish. But it wasn’t embarrassment but
excitement, arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning in so many
directions.
When the song was over, and Rebecca
had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t help but burst into a
healthy round of applause. A few scattered people joined in, including Debbie
and Carmen after she nudged them in the ribs. But only Miss King seemed to
truly appreciate the brilliance of his talent as much as Rebecca did.
“That was amazing, Justyn!” the
teacher gushed.
“Lord Justyn,” he corrected as he
stepped down from the stage.
A few others complimented him as
well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious expression never
faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost bored, like it was
all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and words of
encouragement.
But not everyone in the crowd was
pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his dark garments that
he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King might have been
excited about the newest male addition to her cast after being limited for many
years, but Tom and his group of boisterous companions glared at him as he
passed them by. Jay sneered and tossed a
balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was quick, and
caught it in his hand without missing a beat.
“I think you dropped something,” he
said.
His speaking voice was no less
melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made Rebecca
shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near as coordinated as
Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his efforts to catch it.
“Hey vampire,” Tom called when Justyn
went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the competition?”
Justyn smiled, a cool, sarcastic
half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”
Miss King didn’t notice the short
confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as quickly and
mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed the very real tension
between the two boys. She wondered if it was a bad omen for them to start off
the production with hard feelings and envy. That could only lead to trouble.
The kind of trouble that could end with someone getting hurt. The kind of trouble that Rebecca would do
whatever it took to avoid.
Laura lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband
and
four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps
her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole
author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of
her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight
years. Her current works include Destiny,
Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.
Connect
with Laura DeLuca
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